


When We Went From Friends to This

by ceaselesslyinlove



Category: North and South (UK TV), North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell | UK TV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, an american author tries to write about the british university system, so please forgive her if she's way off, that awkward moment when you get a crush on your frenemy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 19:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20494295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceaselesslyinlove/pseuds/ceaselesslyinlove
Summary: Milton is cold, ugly, and rough.  Most of the people don’t seem to understand what a smile is and her own mother remarks that she would probably find more cheer and joy in a cemetery than here. But her father left the ministry and has found himself a teaching position at Milton University, so to Milton they go.





	When We Went From Friends to This

**Author's Note:**

> Life took control of my free time for awhile, so I coming back to the fan fiction world with a longer one-shot as my white flag! After this, I promise I will turn to my two on-going North and South stories. 
> 
> For the one-shot, I've made the story very AU for the sake of condensing it. Certain characters don't make an appearance altogether and this story is certainly not as dramatic as the original. I wrote this as more of a way to get the writing juices moving again, but I do hope you enjoy it all the same! 
> 
> Ages-  
Margaret is 24  
John is 29

Margaret Hale is discovering that John Thornton is an excellent kisser.

He’s somehow gentle and rough all at once. His lips and hands are soft and delicate against her, but there’s a certain urgency to his kisses that she didn’t expect. She wonders if he would say the same about her…with her hands lightly holding his shoulders, but her lips meeting his every kiss with perhaps more enthusiasm than she’d ever shown anyone.

“Margaret,” his voice his deep and tender as he pulls away for just a moment, and she wonders how a voice can make someone hunger more.

She really shouldn’t be doing this. She really really should not be in the middle of a library snogging one of her closest friends and her father’s student where anyone could walk in, but then his thumb caresses her bottom lip, making her open her mouth before he deepens his kiss and she’s left with no other choice but to hold onto him harder.

* * *

**6 Months Ago**

Milton is cold, ugly, and rough. Most of the people don’t seem to understand what a smile is and her own mother remarks that she would probably find more cheer and joy in a cemetery than here. But her father left the ministry and has found himself a teaching position at Milton University, so to Milton they go.

On her first day exploring the city, she attempts a “half glass full” type of attitude and tries to find something positive about her new home, but all that is ruined when she turns to see a man pushing another man out of a store and to the ground hard.

The man does not appear that much older than her. His voice is deep and penetrating as he yells down at the man. She makes her way over out of instinct, but a group forms before she can see the aftermath. The only thing she can make out as she’s pushed off to the side is something about how the poor man is being fired.

Later on, she barges into her new home, a small apartment with hideous wallpaper and a putrid smoky smell, and collapses into a seat next to her mother.

“You’re right, Mama. We would be happier in a cemetery.”

Her mother hums softly, looking sadder, and Margaret wants to curse herself. Her sick mother only has felt worse since they arrived, and her sour attitude would only hurt her more.  


**  


University begins only a couple weeks later, and Margaret soon forces herself to look for employment. In another life, she would already be employed at some publishing firm in London or perhaps some company closer to Helstone, but with an ailing parent and as the only child, she’s committed to her family and now fears what sort of work life she will have in this wretched town.

After some hunting online, she discovers an open tutor position at the university’s library and finds herself exploring Milton University for the first time. It’s the one place in Milton that actually appears pretty. The campus is clean with nourished gardens and shrubbery. The buildings themselves are grand, but not opposing, and Margaret must begrudgingly admit that her father made a good call in working here.

The thought of her father in her mind, she looks up his office number and decides to pay him a visit. The library is close by and she can manage to squeeze in some daughter support for her father’s new job.

After mistaking a few buildings and a couple hallways, she finally manages to find her father’s classroom. She sees a student speaking with her father at his desk, and silently slips into the room.

“Oh, Margaret! How wonderful! John Thornton, may I introduce you to my daughter? Margaret, John is one of my new students.”

The student turns around and Margaret recognizes him immediately. She frowns, which appears to puzzle him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hale,” he approaches her and raises his hand to shake hers. She folds her arms across her chest.

“Aren’t you the guy I saw pushing a defenseless man outside of your store?”

She hears her father’s soft gasp, but whether it’s at her behavior or her revelation, she’s not sure of. John only bristles slightly, but firmly keeps his intense blue eyes on her. “I’m sorry you saw that. The former employee was stealing from my store and I was angry.”

“Does that really give you the freedom to throw him out and scream at him?”

“As an employer looking out for his business and his other employees, I believe it gives me some justification.”

She glares at him, feeling unnaturally angry. She gives her father a glance and feels another sweep of anger as he looks on at her with growing astonishment.

“What are you even doing here? Aren’t you a little old to be studying in an undergrad class?”

That hits a nerve. He clenches his jaw, as if to hold in some sort of response, and turns back towards her father.

“Thank you for the assistance today, Professor Hale. I’ll see you next week,” is all he says before leaving the classroom briskly.

The door closes and her father is instantly berating her. “That was not fair, Margaret. You do not know his circumstances.”

“I don’t care,” she mumbles, suddenly feeling tired and sad. “The classroom looks lovely, by the way,” she says before leaving, making sure to go the opposite way of John Thornton.

Thankfully, the library is still open when she arrives. A girl with a nametag that reads **Bessy Higgins** hands her an application and she fills it out, hoping to God that something in this miserable town can work out for her.

* * *

**5 Months Ago**

_John is coming over for dinner tonight._

She scowls at her phone, her father’s text sending her into a foul mood. She still does not understand why her father and John Thornton struck up such an odd friendship.

Looking over at her new colleague, she holds up her phone. “Guess who’s coming over for dinner?”

Bessy laughs, rolling her chair over to Margaret. After accepting the tutor position at the library, Bessy quickly became one of Margaret’s close friends. She was funny, kind, and a ray of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy town.

“Margaret, I know you’re sick of me saying it, but he’s really not that bad. Yes, he’s rather moody and stern, but he’s not unkind.”

Bessy’s father, Nicholas, worked for John and swore that he was one of the better employers in the town. Things could always be better but having a job at Thornton’s Warehouse was a lottery ticket in Milton.

“If you had been there that day, you would not agree with yourself.”

“Stephens was stealing…he should not have used force, but I can understand his anger and worry.”

Realizing she’s not going to get as much backup as she wants, Margaret sighs. “Well, I’ll have to let you know how it goes. I should start preparing my things for the students.”

Grabbing her notebook and laptop, she walks over to her self-assigned table and prepares herself for the many papers she’ll be editing.  


**  


John arrives promptly at the scheduled time. Opening the door, she realizes this is the second time she and John Thornton will be in each other’s company.

Ignoring how good he looks in his blue shirt, she smiles tightly, “Hello, Mr. Thornton, so good to see you.”

Her words have the opposite effect, as he seems to find her greeting amusing. “Hello to you too, Miss Hale.”

She moves to the side to let him in, adamantly keeping her eyes away from looking at him and leads him into the living room, hoping this evening can end quickly.

Things appear to move along well. John makes conversation well with her parents and she chimes in when her response is necessary. John glances at her periodically throughout the meal and she no doubt knows he’s wondering why she’s being so quiet.

“Miss Hale?”

It’s near the end of dinner when he looks across at her directly. To her surprise, he appears almost nervous.

“I was wondering how your job at the library is going.”

She raises a brow at that, wondering at his ulterior motive behind the remark.

“It’s a good job. My colleagues are nice, and I get to read and edit students’ papers all day, which is what I enjoy doing.”

He glances at her father for a brief second, before continuing, “I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind looking at some of my work. Your father says you have a good eye.”

She can feel her parents’ eyes on her, but it’s her mother’s eyes that make her cave. Their family needs a friend and if her parents’ have chosen this unpleasant man, then so be it.

She tries one last lame attempt to avoid it. “Would that not be a little awkward, if my father is going to be the one grading the work?”

He smiles a little at that. “I have two other classes that I’m taking that involve a lot of writing and I’d like a smart editor to have a look at them.”

Raising her brow, she looks straight at him with a challenging eye, “It’s a deal.”

* * *

**4 Months Ago**

“Wait, so how did you go from hating John to wanting to tutor him?”

Margaret groans. “I don’t want to tutor him, Bessy, but my father needs me to make peace with him and this is the way he’s going to do it.”

“Well, I’d like you to keep in mind that this is a library and I will shush you both if your voices raise too loud,” Bessy smirks.

When John enters the library, she’s already set up at her table, a cozy spot nestled near the back of the library.

“I want you to know that I’m a harsh editor,” she forewarns him as he slides into the seat across from her.

“I would be shocked if I received anything less from you,” he says, the double-meaning crystal clear.

She takes a deep breath, remembering her promise to her father. “So, what do you have for me today?”

“We’re studying a selection of Jane Austen’s works, so needless to say, I’m struggling to create an interesting essay out of her bland work.”

She feels her mouth drop before she can stop it. “Jane Austen? Bland? Are you out of your mind?”

For the first time, she sees John Thornton grin and it’s dazzling to say the least. “I’d wondered when you’d scold me again. Please, enlighten me, Miss Hale.”  


**  


“All I’m saying is that Austen just spends pages where nothing is happening, and we’re supposed to hail this book as a classic?”

“She’s trying to convey what life is like for women in her time! It’s not always eventful and ladies could not get employment of any kind.”

“Miss Hale, she’s writing a novel and novels should be eventful and perhaps a little dramatic at times –”.

“Oh, so Mr. Wickham and Lydia Bennett eloping isn’t dramatic enough for you?”

Bessy appears out of thin air. “Margaret, not to be a broken record, but this is a library…”

Both her and John lean back in their seats. She peeks towards the front of the library and she realizes that everyone is glaring at them.

“Also, are you not supposed to be editing his essay and not debating about his opinion on them?”

“Thank you, Bessy!” She sighs at Bessy’s smirk, watching as she waltzes back to her desk before turning to John who seems to be trying to hold in some laughter.

“What?”

“Well, I mean she has a good point…”

She sighs and turns back to his heavily marked down paper. “You’re right, I’m here to edit your writing, not argue about your wrong opinions.”

She takes a glance at her phone and realizes it’s getting late. “Actually, we’re out of time. Same time next week?”

He looks a little startled. “I didn’t realize so much time had passed. Can we work for just a little longer? Unless you have other students coming in.”

“Umm, no…no I meant I don’t have other students coming,” she quickly clarifies due to the slight crestfallen look he gives. “But don’t you have the store to manage?”

“My mother manages it while I’m gone. I can text her now and let her know I’ll be a bit late,” he says as he pulls out his phone.

She’s hit with the sudden realization of how little she knows about him. She tries to conjure up an image of what his mother must look like and fails.

“May I ask why your mother helps you with your business?” She hopes she doesn’t sound too nosy, but she’s suddenly very curious about his life.

He’s silent for just a second, but it’s enough for her to notice. “My mother used to assist my father with the store, so now she assists me.”

They’re broaching on sensitive material and Margaret can already guess as to what that last statement means.

“I see,” is all she says, before turning to looks at his essay again. What she doesn’t expect for him to do is continue.

“My…my father passed away under very awful circumstances when I was young. The business had lost most of the money because of an investment scheme my father participated in and we could barely afford anything for some time. I dropped out of school for the most part to help my mother and sister, and eventually got the store back up and running. I’m just now able to work on my bachelors’.”

She’s feels that uneasy feeling of guilt take hold in her gut. Breathing out unsteadily, she meets his unwavering and sad eyes.

“I think that was a very brave and selfless thing of you to do,” she softly says.

He offers a small smile in return. They look at each other in some weird haze of understanding before he clears his throat and moves his head toward the essay.

“We better move on to this before we use up your time.”

At the end of the session, as he stands to leave, she finally musters up the courage to say one last thing.

“I’m sorry about what I said to you…the first day we met. That was unkind.”

He just shrugs, picking up his work. “It’s water under the bridge for me, Miss Hale. I, for one, am glad our heavy arguments have moved on to such things as books and authors.”

As he walks away, she can’t help but to yell after him, “I was right about Austen, by the way!”

* * *

**3 Months Ago**

“Ah, you must be Miss Hale!”

Margaret looks up from the essay she’s editing to see a very blonde and beautiful woman about her age. With skinny jeans, a tight-fitting blouse, and a pair of high heels, the person does not look like she’s emerged from Milton of all places.

“Can I help you?”

“My brother, honest to god, does not shut up about you so I had to see you for myself! I guess you’re sort of pretty…perhaps the clothes could do for upgrading and you would seriously look gorgeous if you let your hair down to breath, but otherwise I can kind of see it.”

“What?” Margaret can’t keep up with how fast this girl is talking.

The girl sigh loudly and sits down as if she jogged her way here. “I’m Fanny Thornton, the better-looking Thornton child…I cannot believe John has never mentioned me to you. That’s so like him though, he barely talks to anyone about anything except if it’s about business or I guess now, school. He thinks your dad is like this theological genius and your mum is just the sweetest, but you! To him, you’re like this southern angel who has come up north to bless us with your mind. Frankly, it’d be nauseating for our mother if I wasn’t around to keep him in check and –”

Margaret just has to cut her off at this point.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Fanny, but really this is a library and there’s other people who are studying…”

Fanny waves her hand as if it’s nothing but still leans over with a hushed voice all the same.

“So, I just want to know how long you’re going to hold off on him. I’m literally dying and the sooner you agree to go out with him, the better for all of us.”

Margaret stutters for just a moment before she grasps onto speech again. “I really don’t think your brother is interested in me, all I do is help him with his papers and we sometimes talk about the books he’s reading, that’s all. Besides, he’s never asked me out so…”

Fanny frowns at that. “What? But I thought he said he wanted to –”

“Fanny!”

Both women jerk their heads up to meet a rather frazzled looking John. Margaret notices, to her utter confusion, that he’s slightly blushing.

“Fanny, what are you doing here?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m trying to get to know the woman you happen to –”

“Alright, well, I’m certain Miss Hale is trying to work and we have a session soon, so maybe we can save the meetup for some other time,” he places a hand on Fanny’s shoulder and gives her a brotherly glare.

Fanny sighs. “Fine, but Margaret, we are continuing this conversation asap! Brother dear, always a pleasure,” and just as eerily as she showed up, she whisks herself away.

John awkwardly places his work down and takes a seat across from her. “I apologize, my sister can be…a lot.”

“No worries,” Margaret says, still baffled by the onslaught of information she’s been given. “Umm, so she did mention that you wanted to ask me something?”

John takes in a breath, perhaps surprised at her willingness to press on, but he nods all the same.

“Yes…there’s a party happening in the next couple weeks. It’s at this classmate’s flat off campus and my entire English class is going. Everyone is bringing a date and seeing how I’m a little out of place there and you’re above the uni age too, I thought we could go. As friends, obviously.”

Margaret feels a little bubble of hope pop somewhere in her chest and is shocked to feel disappointment course through her. She refuses to sit on it, however, and nods, smiling.

“Sounds like it could be fun. I generally didn’t do the party scene too much at uni anyway, so this could be my way of making up for it.”

John offers that now familiar small smile and starts to make plans for their date…well friend-date.  


**  


“You’re going to a party?”

“For the hundredth time, yes!” She looks at her dad in the mirror, brushing her curly hair one last time and fixing her green dress.

“With John Thornton? I thought you hated him?” She sighs, turning fast enough to see a knowing look pass between her parents.

“First of all, I don’t hate him. And second, we’re just going as friends, we both made that very clear. So, you can stop with that silent conversation you’re having, because it’s absolutely not what you think.”

The doorbell rings and she bends down to quickly kiss her parents goodbye.

“As always, do be careful Margaret,” her mother coughs slightly and Margaret can’t stop herself from giving her an extra kiss.

With one last glance at her father’s ever observant eyes, she tries to walk at a normal pace to the door.  


**  


Four hours later, she finds herself sprawled out on a sofa, nearly leaning against John. Both of them are nursing their third beers and looking over at the many students whose youth still allows them to remain awake for yet another few hours.

“Some party,” she hears John say. She turns to see him gazing at her, the haze of slight tipsiness in his eyes.

She laughs slightly, taking another sip of the beer lazily. “You feeling sleepy, John?”

He rolls his eyes and moves his arm, so it lands on the back of the sofa behind her back. She tries not to focus on that too much.

“So, Miss Hale…”

“You know, you can call me Margaret now, I have no idea why you keep acting like we’re in some ancient Victorian society.”

He ignores her.

“…do you still miss Helstone or are you finding Milton to have its qualities?”

She leans back, not caring that the movement results in her nearly touching his arm.

“Milton has become special to me…but I think I’ll always miss Helstone in a way. I miss the quiet and the beauty of it. I think I’ll miss the…well never mind it’s stupid.”

“No, tell me,” John says earnestly, looking at her almost longingly. Weird.

“Helstone is full of these beautiful yellow roses. They appear everywhere in the town, even growing up the sides of the houses. I really miss that.”

A vision of her mother, healthy and vibrant, picking flowers and placing them in her hair fills her mind and she feels tears spring in her eyes.

“Sorry, it’s the alcohol,” she brushes her eye and gasps softly, when she feels John’s hand come up and wipe away a single tear from a cheek.

“It’s alright,” his words are soft, and she can’t bring herself to stop staring at him. His eyes are so very blue and his skin looks soft and she really really needs to get a grip.

“So, I heard from someone earlier today that you’re starting the Great Gatsby…”

The spell is broken, and John moves his hand away from her cheek.

“You heard correctly. It’s probably going to be very overrated,” he eyes her knowingly and she grabs the bait.

“John Thornton, let me explain to you the reason why classics are in fact called classics okay…”

* * *

**2 Months Ago**

She finally gathers the courage to visit _Thronton’s Warehouse_. She’d like to think that she and John have a strange sort of friendship at this point and visiting his own store wouldn’t be too odd for them. She’s discovered that John is not an avid texter, so after waiting for a reply for a bit, she decides she’s just going to have to surprise him. With a handful of her edits, just in case anyone asks, she makes her way to the store.

The store is massive, stretching down far with racks upon racks of clothes. An employee offers to help her find a section, but she declines, choosing to browse and try not to look too suspicious as she keeps her eyes open for a certain store owner.

It doesn’t work.

“Can I help you?”

A proud and stern looking woman faces her, her blue eyes appraising her. The familial relation is obvious.

“Uh, yes actually, I’m here to give Jo- Mr. Thornton his papers…” Margaret holds them up lamely, as if for proof.

“Ah, so you must be Margaret Hale. My son has told me much about you.”

“Oh, so you’re Mrs. Thornton! It’s lovely to meet you,” the woman gives her a brief handshake before pulling back and Margaret is left feeling awkward again.

“Is he here?” She asks, hoping she sounds casual.

“He works in the back office most days, but I can deliver the papers to him,” Mrs. Thornton says briskly, holding out her hand.

Margaret hesitates for a moment, but she thankfully hears John’s footsteps (how does she even know the sound of that) and looks up to see his curious eyes.

“Miss Hale, I’m sorry I missed your text earlier. I see you’ve met my mother.” He’s wearing a suit and Margaret feels her heart silently leap in her chest.

She smiles tightly and hands over the papers.

“Yes, it was nice to meet her. Uh…I just wanted to give these to you.” She hands him the essays and he turns to give a smile to his mother.

‘Mother, I think I can take care of our customer from here.”

Mrs. Thornton gives Margaret one last hawkish glance, before heading off towards the registers.

“You’ll have to forgive her; she can be overprotective at times.”

“What would she have to be protective about regarding me?”

John gives her an exasperated look, like she’s missing something obvious. Once again, she finds herself pointing at the papers. “Your writing is very strong now. There’s not much to edit here actually.”

“Well, that’s because I’ve had a stellar tutor along the way,” he smiles at her and she can feel her cheeks flaming up. “May I show you around the store?”

She nods and lets John’s rich and timbre voice carry her throughout the store.

_Friends, we’re friends._

* * *

**2 Weeks Ago**

Time passes and John continues to come to her tutor sessions. He’s her most reliable attendee and a close friend, even though Bessy and Fanny have their own personal agendas on their relationship status. She opens up more about her mother’s cancer with him, her anxiety with being a minister’s daughter, and her desire to pursue publishing one day. He, in turn, tells her more about his father, how hard he and his mother worked to bring their business back up, and his wish to travel. It’s one of the few things in Milton she cherishes and if her heart beats too rapidly when he touches her or her entire mood shifts into happiness when she sees him, she decisively ignores it.

One day, at the end of one of their sessions, he announces he’s going to London for the next two weeks.

“Classes are off and there’s some investment opportunities for the store that I want to look into,” He looks excited and despite the slight sadness she feels of not seeing him for that long, she feels proud of him. From her memory, he hasn’t traveled to London in years and he can simultaneously explore and work all at once.

“That’s great, John!” She smiles at him and without really thinking about it, she stands and hugs him.

He’s stiffens awkwardly for just a moment before wrapping his arm around her. He hugs her tightly before pulling back and wrapping a loose curl behind her ear, so quickly she believes she imagined it.

“Don’t replace me while I’m gone,” is all he says before he’s heading out the door. She watches after him pathetically before she hears Bessy’s voice, with a deeper tone, come up from behind her.

“Oh, Margaret, don’t replace me, I couldn’t bear it!”

Margaret rolls her eyes. “Leave it be, Bessy!”

“You know, Fanny and I have a bet going on when you two finally give in to the sexual tension. I say about two more weeks. Fanny thinks a month.”

* * *

**15 Minutes Ago**

John came back promptly after his two-week holiday, or holiday of sorts. He had texted infrequently while away, although even for John, the amount of texts had been high. When he walked through the library doors, she could no longer deny how desperately she missed him and needed to see him every day.

They stay in the library even after it closes, wanting to catch up more on his travels after the lesson.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” he says, out of the blue. “I have a gift for you,” he nods his head over to an extra package that he had brought in with his work. “It’s fragile, so I’ll open the top.”

They both stand and he carefully unfolds the top of the package, tilting it so she can look inside. Standing upright in three small pots, are yellow roses. They look precisely like the ones in Helstone.

Mouth slightly open in shock, she says softly, “How did you find these in London?”

She looks up to see him almost blushing. “Actually, they’re from Helstone.”

Her heart is blasting so loudly, it almost tunes out his voice as he continues. “It was out of the way, but I wanted to see…see where you came from, where you grew up…and then I remembered the flowers you had missed and –” her hands are on his face, pulling him down and her lips press hard against his before he can finish.

It’s almost relieving to kiss him. It’s like some heavy weight has been lifted from her chest, as he wraps her tightly in her arms with a soft moan and backs her up against the bookshelves. Several books come crashing to the floor as her back hits the shelves, but neither pay any mind, too enraptured with each other to notice.

Then he whispers her name, and it’s her name and it sounds so so wonderful. Pulling away, she looks at his darkening eyes and grins. “Does that mean we’re officially done with that ‘Miss Hale’ nonsense?”

“Absolutely,” he says roughly, then he’s back to kissing her and oh god his tongue is wonderful, and she really can’t believe this happening.

Eventually, she finds herself on the table, her legs encircling his waist and his lips are now against her throat and her shoulder. He’s moved the sleeve of her shirt just slightly so he can kiss the skin there and it’s so simple and so John, but she’s memorized. She’s so happy, but she’s also a natural worrier and she can’t help but eventually voice it.

“John?”

“Hmm?” He hums against her skin before he lifts his head up to rest his forehead against hers.

“What happens after this…I mean you’re one of my best friends here and I can’t…we can’t ruin it. And you’re my dad’s student, what’s he going to think? And your mother, I don’t think she really likes me all that much…”

He gives her a long kiss that shuts her up for a moment, but he pulls away to look at her fondly.

“We’re going to do whatever you’re comfortable with…but personally I’d like to take you out. We can even do some dumb party again, but you’d be a real date. We're already past the awkward getting to know you part of dating, so I imagine it'll feel smooth. Your father is going to approve because I’m one of his best students,” she scoffs at that, “and my mother will grow to like you, because I like you very much and she’ll eventually come to see what I see.”

“How very optimistic of you, Mr. Thornton,” she says fondly, gripping his shirt and kissing him once again. “Now, can you please get out us out of here.”

He looks at her in slight bemusement, “As in take you home, or…I have my own apartment right next to the store –”

She laughs and nods, “I really don’t want our first time to be on a library table, don’t you agree? Although I’m not opposed to the idea in the future.”

“Okay, so my place then…right, right,” and it’s rather adorable and heartwarming to watch stoic John Thornton scramble to pick up their stuff, and with a quick kiss, they’re both moving out the door.

* * *

**10 Hours Later**

Bessy Higgins enters the library the next morning, her attention immediately riveted to Margaret’s corner of the building. Books are strewn across the floor and the table appears to have moved a significant amount.

Taking out her phone rather smugly, she sends a congratulations text to Margaret and to Fanny, she simply writes, “I win”.


End file.
